Charter Schools Lenders Coalition (c/o LIFF)

Collaboration of mission-driven, community development organizations working to improve the lives of people living in economically distressed communities.

With support from foundations and the U.S. Department of Education, over two dozen nonprofit lenders have supplied over $2.5 billion in direct financial support and another $1.15 billion in New Markets Tax Credits (NMTCs) to charter school facilities across the country. To date the CSLC has financed more than 1,400 charter school projects in dozens of states. The members of the CSLC often serve newer charter schools with little surplus cash-flow or limited collateral, yet their default rate is less than 1 percent. CSLC members also assist more mature charter schools to attract private capital from traditional lenders and the tax-exempt bond market, and have helped raise billions of dollars in additional low-cost capital.